Minute Maid Rhetorical Analysis

Visual Rhetoric By Minute Maid In a recent commercial featuring Olympian Missy Franklin, Minute Maid attempts to persuade viewers that their product will help aid them when doing good. Minute Maid makes an appeal to ethos by presenting an Olympic swimmer and her parents in a press conference. The commercial uses pathos and sets up music and multiple clips that are gradually emphasized up to the moment Franklin gets to talk to her parents after delivering a speech about them. Another visual rhetorical technique used is finishing the commercial by presenting the brand and its message to viewers so they are aware of the overall message. Ultimately, Minute Maid proves their product can help do good by using product placement alongside Missy Franklin

For example, in one clip, Franklin is shown being helped to swim by her mother and it transitions into her swimming competitively on her own at the same time she says “your most important job was helping me grow into the woman I was capable of becoming”(Missy Franklin). These images help invoke empathy of knowing how it is to grow and develop as the audience sees how she grew to become a strong athlete with the help of her parents. As Franklin continues to read her letter to her parents, she begins to cry. Instead of showing Franklin calmly recite the speech in a vacant room, the commercial shows her reciting the speech in room full of people and crying so that viewers will be stirred as some people cry easily or cry when others cry. The commercial also includes an audience already present as Missy gives the press conference. As she speaks, people from the audience are focused on and seen responding with tears. The effect lets others know that other people have already reacted to Franklin’s speech with tears, which could make them want to cry as well or have other sentimental feelings stirred. Therefore, pathos is used by showing others being expressive causing viewers to respond to the commercial, so they focus on the brand and its

The music in the background is emphasized as Franklin speaks, but it calms down as soon as the words “put good in, get good out,”(Youtube, Minute Maid) are depicted. The setup shows the simplicity in Minute Maid’s products, and the simplicity in being good or telling others that they are doing good. Instead of just writing out “doing good,” the commercial ends a statement with “#doinggood,”(Youtube, Minute Maid) which would advise audiences that they can search the hashtag on social media platforms. Using hashtags within the commercial allows for Minute Maid to help viewers to do good and encourage others by posting and their acts on social media, which would make the rhetoric effective because it means the product actually does helps others. Another example would be the commercial choosing not to elaborate on what do with the hashtag “doing good.” By simply presenting “#doinggood,”(Youtube, Minute Maid) the end of the commercials stays clear and simple without disrupting the point or the mood for the audience. Therefore, clearly stating the message without the use of unnecessary designs allows the audience to comprehend the message and want to take part of the do good